WooHoo!!! Christmas has come! It’s time for the Stanley Cup playoffs to start and time to look into my rather murky crystal ball and predict the first round…
Eastern Conference
Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils – The key to this one will be what Andrei Vasilevskiy shows up, the one that dominated the first half+ of the season? Or the rather tired looking one of the last couple of months. The Lightning have the offense and the defense to go all the way, but there has to be major concern about the netminding. The Devils have arisen from the ashes, GM Ray Shero has done an outstanding job rebuilding this team from the rubble left to him. They will be no walkover, but they have questions in net as well… Keith Kinkaid has been on fire lately and if he falters, Corey Schnieder will be there… and that may be enough. My Call – If I only had the guts to call the upset, but Tampa has too many weapons. Lightning in five.
Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets – One of the more intriguing matchups of the first round. Two franchises with lots of unmet expectations and playoff disappointments in their history. Washington with a ton of pressure on them to perform, Columbus has some as well, but not nearly at the level the Caps do. This is a tough matchup for DC, however it could be the springboard they need to succeed in the second round. The Blue Jackets have been solid all year and will present matchup issues for the Caps. Then there is the goaltending controversy in Washington… it all adds up to trouble in DC My Call – Blue Jackets in five… and the house cleaning in DC will begin shortly after that game.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers – Two teams with a nasty playoff history that should make this one a lot of fun. Let’s face it… these teams do NOT like each other, add the playoffs to the mix and hockey fans should be rubbing their hands together in glee for a good old fashioned hate fest. The Pens owner the Flyers in the regular season and there is no reason to pic against them as the defending champs, but this team is a little different heading into the second season. They have great offensive weapons, are healthier on defense but have a big question mark in net as Matt Murray has been inconsistent as hell this season. Hmmm, inconsistent in net… that describes the Flyers every season since Ron Hextall was between the pipes in Philly. Claude Giroux has been lights out and can take a team on his back, if they get a healthy Watne Simmonds for the series, this could be closer than most everyone is predicting… My Call – Penguins in six very ugly, nasty, bitter games.
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs – Two teams with a nasty playoff history that should make this one lot of fun. But… Boston has been playing some inspired hockey… until the last week of the season. They are big, fast and mean and Zdeno Chara seems to have found a fountain of youth hidden somewhere in TD Garden. Toronto is young, fast and highly skilled and will benefit for last year’s playoff run and the presence of players like Patrick Marleau. It may come down to goaltending… My Call – I really, really want to take the Leafs… but I think they are going to struggle with Boston’s physical game. Bruins in seven.
Western Conference
Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche – My detailed preview coming tomorrow… Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings – There is a surprising split in calls on this one… I thought that most pundits will declare midnight for the Knights and have them going down to the Kings. Vegas scores by committee, has solid defense and playoff experienced goaltending, they will not be an easy out. If only they didn’t draw Los Angeles. The Kings have found the joy in playing hockey again under head coach John Stephens. They have rediscovered some weapons and any team with Jonathan Quick in net will compete. There is too much playoff experience on this Kings team and even though Marc-Andre Fluery has multiple cup rings, his playoff record is not stellar. My call - Playoff experience counts in this one… both positive and negative. Kings in six.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild – To read most media, just give the Canada’s Team a pass right through to next round so they can complain about the playoff format again. Given Winnipeg’s playoff futility … the franchise has two playoff appearances with a combined record of 0-8, I’d like them to win a playoff game before I can call this series for them. Bell MTS Place will be raucous, crazy, nuts, etc… I will say this… I can see the Jets winning this series… but I can also see the Jets losing this series with their overall limited playoff experience. Tonight’s lid lifter is important for Winnipeg, if they drop game one… the ghosts of the past may start to rear their ugly heads and the “0-fer… gets larger. Minnesota is still a very, very good team… even without Ryan Suter. They have plenty of offense, a decent blueline without Suter and Devan Dubnyk between the pipes… and oh, by the way… everyone is picking against them. Who knows, maybe Bruce Boudreau may finally win a game seven? My Call - Nope, Boudreau doesn’t win a game seven as I have the Wild finding a way in six.
Anaheim Ducks vs San Jose Sharks – I am going to lose a lot of sleep on this one. To pull out an old line… this one doesn’t have a winner… it will have a survivor. Two big physical teams with solid netminding, not afraid to bring the body and can fill the net. These California series happen way too infrequently, but the regional rivalry is certainly there. San Jose has a few more weapons that are a bit younger than the Ducks. The Ducks play that “they can’t call them all… style that can be infuriating for an opponent but the Sharks can match that. My Call - Sharks in six… winning in six will be crucial as a post-series recovery day or two would really help. Well… there you go… flame away!!!
Preds/Avs preview coming tomorrow.
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The Playoff Tracker … a daily update of the Stanley Cup Playoffs brought to you by Mark Lonsway - THE real estate professional for hockey fans!
The playoff field is set; dates/times of next game along with series score are below.
Eastern Conference Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils – 0-0 – Game one is Thursday Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets – 0-0 – Game one is Thursday Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers – 0-0 – Game one is tonight Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs – 0-0 – Game one is Thursday
Western Conference Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche – 0-0 – Game one is Thursday Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings – 0-0 – Game one is tonight Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild – 0-0 – Game one is tonight Anaheim Ducks vs San Jose Sharks – 0-0 – Game one is Thursday
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Random Notes
- The shoe is on the other foot this year, if you look at the predictions, I can’t find a single pundit calling this series for Colorado… yikes!
- ESPN writers are also in complete agreement on Winnipeg beating Minnesota… more bulletin board material.
- I really think the clean sweep predictions are pundit wishing for a Winnipeg/Nashville matchup as the last three regular season games between these two teams have been breathtaking to watch.
- Talking about predictions, take a breath Pred Nation... plenty of writers are calling for the Predators to win the Cup or at least go back to the Final. ESPN’s board of 13 pundits has only five different teams making the final… Tampa (6) Boston (5) and Washington (2) in the East. Nashville (11) and Winnipeg (2) in the West. Winning the Cup? Nashville (8) Washington and Tampa (2 each) and Boston (1).
- How much will experience play a factor in the Predators playoff run this year?
- Expect some fun with a brand new opening tomorrow night… it’s going to be AWESOME so be in your seats early.
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